Chilean Eclipse Tours in 2019

A total eclipse of the Sun is one of Nature's greatest spectacles. It is an assault on all of the senses. Only when you have seen a total eclipse for yourself, you'll understand why it defies adequate description!

Intrepid Travel has been running tours around the world for over 25 years and its astronomy team can draw on decades of experience in the planning and execution of tours to witness solar eclipses. We are offering two trips to view the total solar eclipse in Chile, accompanied by astronomer Dr John Mason, a highly respected expert on eclipses.

Dr John Mason

John has won a reputation for his tremendous enthusiasm and inspirational lecturing style. The principal lecturer in astronomy at the Southdowns Planetarium (UK), he regularly appears on television and radio. Those who have heard him speak never forget what they have learnt. John is one of the most experienced followers of eclipses and the Northern Lights.

In September 2000, the asteroid 1990 MN was named 6092 Johnmason by the International Astronomical Union in recognition of his various contributions to astronomy.

Dr Mason was made an MBE in the 2009 New Year’s Honours List for his services to science education, particularly at the South Downs Planetarium and Science Centre.

For over 30 years he has been leading overseas expeditions to observe and record natural phenomena such as annular and total solar eclipses, the polar aurora and major meteor showers to destinations all over the world. He is a well-known ‘eclipse chaser’ who has been involved in the planning and escorting of groups to view solar eclipses since the early 1980s.

His 'living planetarium' shows, where he uses the real night sky as an outdoor star theatre, have been enjoyed by audiences from the deserts of the Middle East and islands in the Pacific to the Australian outback and African safari parks.

Prices from £4,815 for 11 days

At 6 pm your tour leader will hold a welcome meeting in the hotel reception with Dr John Mason, here you will get a chance to meet others in the group and get briefed on the next few days ahead.

After your briefing, there is the option to head out to a local bar where you can enjoy a typical Chilean drink in the company of locals, really experiencing Santiago’s social culture - we head to a local restaurant afterwards (own expense)

There is some free time this morning to relax before transferring to Calama (1.5 hours journey time) for your flight (included).

On arrival we transfer to the hotel to check and drop off luggage before visiting the Moon & Death valley for sunset.

Moon Valley, or Valle de la Luna, is located in the Cordillera de la Sal, and is one of the most incredible sights in the world due to the impressive natural rock formations and diverse landscapes. Different geological processes over thousands of years affected the rocks and minerals in the area, forming stunning ‘moon-like’ rock formations in the valley. The Valle de la Luna has also been declared a Nature Sanctuary and part of the National Flamingo Reserve. You also visit Death Valley, Valle de Muerte. Here you will see some of the best views of the Andes and the volcanoes of the area.

After breakfast, we transfer to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Here you will get to visit the ALMA Operations Support Facility (OSF) outside San Pedro where ALMA personnel work and where visitors can observe the control room, laboratories and usually antennas under maintenance and the antenna transporter. For safety reasons, operations on the Chajnantor Plateau (the Array Operations Site, or AOS, where the ALMA antennas are actually located) are not open to visitors, due to the location at 5,000 meters above sea level.

After a tour of the facilities you will head out to the Salar de Atacama for some photo opportunities of the largest salt flat in Chile. Salar de Atacama is not a dazzling white like the Salar de Surire, or Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, but it’s fascinating all the same – especially when you get out and take a close look at the crust, which looks like coffee-coloured coral reef and clanks when you walk on it.

Afterwards, continue our journey back to San Pedro where we have the evening to relax at leisure.

We enjoy lunch (at own expense) in the old-fashioned plaza followed by a gentle walking tour taking in the evidence of the golden nitrate era on the wooden-fronted Victorian and Georgian buildings of the coastal Barrio Histórico. The port here handles most of the minerals from the Atacama, especially the copper from Chuquicamata, and is still a major import-export node for Bolivia, which lost the region to Chile during the War of the Pacific.

The Paranal Observatory is an astronomical observatory operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO); it is located in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile on Cerro Paranal at 2,635 m (8,645 ft) altitude, 120 km (70 mi) south of Antofagasta. By total light-collecting area, it is the largest optical-infrared observatory in the Southern hemisphere; worldwide, it is second to the Mauna Kea Observatory on Hawaii.

The Very Large Telescope (VLT), the largest telescope on Paranal, is composed of four separate 8.2 m (320 in) telescopes. In addition, the four main telescopes can combine their light to make a fifth instrument, the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). Four auxiliary telescopes of 1.8 m (71 in) each are also part of the VLTI to make it available when the main telescopes are being used for other projects.

After breakfast transfer from Santiago to La Serena, our base for the eclipse. We visit the Limari Valley and one of Chile’s newer wine regions.

Our group will be split into sub-groups:

Group 1 will enjoy sampling some wine at the Talinay Winery before continuing on to La Serena and our accommodation on the coast.

Group 2 Check in before travelling to the El Pangue Observatory. El Pangue observatory is located ten miles to the south of Vicuña, in the middle of the Elqui valley, just an hour and a half from La Serena. This is a unique place, the only human constructions visible from El Pangue are the scientific observatories Cerro Tololo and Gemini. Enjoy some stargazing with Dr Mason.

Later stop at a Pisco Distillery at the Elqui Valley for some lunch before returning to our hotel.

Group 1: Travel to the El Pangue Observatory. El Pangue observatory is located ten miles to the south of Vicuña, in the middle of the Elqui valley, just an hour and a half from La Serena. This is a unique place, the only human constructions visible from El Pangue are the scientific observatories Cerro Tololo and Gemini. Enjoy some stargazing with Dr Mason.

Later stop at a Pisco Distillery at the Elqui Valley for some lunch before returning to our hotel.

Group 2: Today we visit the Limari Valley and one of Chile’s newer wine regions. Enjoy sampling some wine at the Talinay Winery before returning to La Serena and our accommodation on the coast.

Chilean Eclipse Tour with Dr John Mason

Prices from £2,350 for 6 days

At 6 pm your tour leader will hold a welcome meeting in the hotel reception, here you will get a chance to meet others in the group and get briefed on the next few days ahead.

After your briefing, there is the option to head out to a local bar where you can enjoy a typical Chilean drink in the company of locals, really experiencing Santiago’s social culture - we head to a local restaurant afterwards (own expense)

Dinner & drink not included
Overnight in Santiago: Hotel Providencia or similar

After breakfast transfer from Santiago to La Serena, our base for the eclipse.

Our group will be split into sub-groups:

Group 1 will enjoy sampling some wine at the Talinay Winery before continuing on to La Serena and our accommodation on the coast.

Group 2 Check in before travelling to the El Pangue Observatory. El Pangue observatory is located ten miles to the south of Vicuña, in the middle of the Elqui valley, just an hour and a half from La Serena. This is a unique place, the only human constructions visible from El Pangue are the scientific observatories Cerro Tololo and Gemini. Enjoy some stargazing with Dr Mason.

Later stop at a Pisco Distillery at the Elqui Valley for some lunch before returning to our hotel.

Group 1: Travel to the El Pangue Observatory. El Pangue observatory is located ten miles to the south of Vicuña, in the middle of the Elqui valley, just an hour and a half from La Serena. This is a unique place, the only human constructions visible from El Pangue are the scientific observatories Cerro Tololo and Gemini. Enjoy some stargazing with Dr Mason.

Later stop at a Pisco Distillery at the Elqui Valley for some lunch before returning to our hotel.

Group 2: Today we visit the Limari Valley and one of Chile’s newer wine regions. Enjoy sampling some wine at the Talinay Winery before returning to La Serena and our accommodation on the coast.